In the thirteenth year of the mission great crowds of Musalmâns and idolaters arrived from Madinah during the time of the pilgrimage for the purpose of circumambulating the house of allah, and when they had reached Mekkah, a portion of them paid on a certain night homage to the apostle of God—u. w. b. It is related of Ka’b B. Mâlek that he said: ‘When we arrived at the sanctuary and met his lordship the prince of the sons of Adam—u. w. b.—we promised him that we would on the second night of the Tasharyq days* come to the pass of A’qâbah and make a covenant with him. Having kept our profession of Islâm secret from the idolaters, we started from the place separately and clandestinely. After one third of the said night had elapsed, we assembled in the place we had agreed upon, whereon his lordship the apostle—u. w. b.—also condescended to make his appearance with his uncle A’bbâs.’ According to another tradition, Mâlek said: ‘His lordship arrived before us with his uncle A’bbâs on the spot.’ In short, Ka’b B. Mâlek says: ‘We were seventy men in all, but two women had also accompanied us. A’bbâs had not become a Musalmân; but being an intelligent man, the prophet—u. w. b.—brought him to confirm the agreement between his lordship and the Anssâr. When everybody had taken his place, A’bbâs spoke as follows: “People of the Khazraj, you know how closely we are related to Muhammad, as well as how beloved and respected he is in his tribe. Hitherto we have guarded and protected him against any attempts of his enemies, and still intend to do so. He, however, desires to abandon us, and to ally himself to you. If you act faithfully by inviting him to Madinah, and guard him against the evil machinations of his foes and opponents, then make him go with you. But if you are not confident of being able to protect him, it will be better to give up your proposal, for he is honoured and exalted among his people and in his city, and guarded with nobility and dignity.”’ Ka’b continues: ‘I replied: We have heard and received thy advice. Then I said: “O apostle of Allah, speak and make any conditions thou likest for the sake of God, whose name be glorified.”’ In some traditions it is recorded that when his lordship the apostle—u. w. b.—was during the appointed night conversing with the people in the pass of A’qâbah, A’bbas happened to pass by and to recognise the blessed voice of his lordship the refuge of termination. Accordingly he entered the assembly, and said: ‘O ye tribe of Khazraj and of Awus, Muhammad is my nephew, and I love him most of all creatures. If you believe him, place faith in him; and if you desire to take him with you, I want to establish a covenant between you, so as to pacify my mind and to preserve him from injury and harm during his exile, especially as the Jews, who are your neighbours, harbour enmity towards him, and I fear their cunning devices against him.’ These words offended Asaa’d B. Zarârah, and he said: ‘O apostle of Allah, give me permission to reply in such a manner as to remove the dust of apprehension, that none of it may settle upon thy luminous mind, and that we may not be reproached with anything whereby we would incur the displeasure of thy noble self.’ After obtaining leave to speak, Asaa’d first turned towards his lordship, and said: ‘O apostle of Allah, a proposal may be such that it is either easy or difficult to comply therewith. Thou hast proposed something to us, the acceptance whereof seems at present difficult to the people; thou hast, namely, invited us to renounce our own religion and to profess the faith of Islâm. This is a great matter, but we have complied with thy wish. Between us and the other Arabs ties of consanguinity and friendship have subsisted. Thou hast ordered us to sever them, and on account of our great attachment for thee we have done so, and that was a very difficult step. Moreover, we are a people aware of our dignity, and no one could rule or govern us except one of our own number. How much less could a man do so who has been abandoned by his own tribe, and from whom his own relatives have withdrawn their hand of protection? We have, nevertheless, in good faith, of our own free will, concluded to submit to thee. It is also known that pretensions like thine displease the people, but no one advances them except a man whom God—whose name be magnified— guides and directs, and who expects his reward in the next world. On this point we all agree with our hearts and tongues. We assent to follow thee, we promise to, and make a covenant with God, who is thy and our Creator, and whose power is above all powers, that we shall sacrifice our lives for thine, and shall protect thy body in the same manner as we guard the bodies of our children and wives. We know that if we keep this covenant we keep our faith towards Allah the Most High, and will become partakers of eternal felicity; and that if we break this promise, we break our faith towards Allah the Most High, and will be of the number of the damned. O apostle of Allah, these words of ours are true, so help us, God!’ After that Asaa’d B. Zarârah turned to A’bbâs, and said: ‘O thou who hast made haste to speak before the apostle of Allah, the Most High knows best what thy intention was. Thou hast said, “He is my nephew, and I love him more than anyone else;” but we have come from far and near, friends and strangers; we adhere to his lordship, and testify that Allah the Most High has truly sent him to mankind, that he is not a liar, and that he has brought words not at all resembling the words of men. Thou hast said, “My mind cannot be pacified unless I receive from you a promise, and a covenant be established between you.” This is a condition to which no one will demur, and we are ready to make any agreement thou likest. Take any hostage thou pleasest for the sake of thy Creator.’ When Asaa’d had spoken thus far, his holy and prophetic lordship said: ‘The conditions of our covenant with reference to the Creator are that you worship Him alone, and attribute to Him no companion; and with reference to myself, they are that you protect me in the same manner as your own lives, those of your children and women.’ The Anssâr replied: ‘O apostle of Allah, we assent to what thou hast said.’
It is recorded in some trustworthy books that when A’bbâs had done speaking, his lordship recited several verses of the Qurân to the Anssâr, whereon they replied: ‘O apostle of Allah, what promise shall we make to thee?’ He said: ‘Promise that you will follow and obey me in prosperity and adversity, that you will in times of distress spend your wealth [to alleviate them], that you will do good and abstain from evil works, that you will in promulging the word of Allah never be intimidated by the threats of revilers, that you will aid, protect, and take care of me as of your own selves, your children and wives.’
According to a certain tradition, the first man who took hold of the blessed hand of his lordship the apostle— u. w. b.—and made the just-mentioned promise, was Abu Emâmah Asaa’d B. Zarârah. Others, however, allege that the first individual of the Anssâr who did so was Abu-l-hâshem B. Althyân, but Allah the Most High knows best the true state of the matter. It is related that on the said occasion Abu-l-hâshem said: ‘O apostle of Allah, between us and the Jews there are treaties and alliances, but if we break them, and Allah the Most High grants thee victory, thou wilt possibly rejoin thy tribe, and abandon us to our foes.’ His lordship smiled, and said: ‘Blood is blood, and destruction is destruction. You are mine, and I am yours. I shall fight those who fight you, and make peace with those with whom you make peace.’ The word ‘destruction’ [hdm] has, however, been interpreted with vocalized d and quiescent m, and consequently rather means ‘tomb, or high dignity,’ but there are two opinions. Accordingly, the meaning is, ‘My tomb will be in the place where your tombs are,’ or ‘Your dignity is my dignity.’ But if d is quiescent [hidm], then this word will be [the singular number of] adhâm, namely, ‘Abandoning an Arab tribe despite of a covenant and alliance.’ Some say that the above phrase was, ‘My blood is thy blood, and my destruction is thy destruction’; namely, ‘If my blood is to be avenged, so is thine, and if thine is shed in vain, so is mine.’ When the covenant was established, his lordship the refuge of prophecy—u. w. b.—selected by the advice of Jebrâil nine leaders from the Khazraj, and three among the Awus. The names of the former are: Barây B. Maghrûr, Râfi’ B. Khazir B. Mâlek B. A’jlân, Saa’d B. A’bâdah, Saa’d B. Khushymah, Saa’d B. Rabyi’ B. A’bâdah, Ssâmat B. A’bdullah, A’mru B. Ruahah, A’bdullah B. Huzm, Mundhar B. O’mayr B. Janas. The names of the Bani Awus leaders are as follows: Abu-l-hâshem B. Althyân, Asyd B. Khazir Rafia’, and Asaa’d B. Zarârah. His holy and prophetic lordship addressed them as follows: ‘Ye are my advocates and sureties with the people, as the apostles were of I’sa—u. w. b.’ They replied: ‘Yes, we are.’
It is said that during the night of the covenant at A’qâbah, A’bbâs said to Saa’d B. A’bâdah and to Ebn Fadhal the Anssâri: ‘O ye Bani Khazraj, you ought to know what you promise to this man with whom you are making a covenant.’ They said: ‘Speak.’ He continued: ‘You promise to fight everybody, even to the detriment of your lives and properties. When, however, both these are endangered, and your chiefs are killed, you will abandon him. Therefore you had better abandon him now, lest you reap disgrace in this world and in the next. But if you care neither for the loss of your possessions, nor for the lives of your families and chiefs, then rather lay hold of and receive him, considering him as the best man of this and of the future world.’ The people replied: ‘We shall adhere to him, even if our chiefs be killed and our properties are lost.’ Then they asked the prophet: ‘O apostle of Allah, if we keep this covenant what will be our reward?’ He replied: ‘Paradise.’ Then they requested him to open his blessed hand, that they might make the promise. His lordship complied, and they gave the promise [by shaking hands]. It is related that while this covenant was being made, Satan ascended to the hill of A’qâbah and shouted: ‘O ye denizens of Mekkah, be it known unto you that the people of Madinah have abandoned their religion, and have made a covenant with Muhammad, and have agreed to wage war against you.’ But his lordship replied: ‘O herald of A’qâbah! Listen, O enemy of Allah! We shall do for thee!’ A’bbâs B. A’bâdah said: ‘O apostle of Allah, I swear by that God who has truly sent thee to mankind. If thou commandest we shall draw our sabres against those who are at Mena.’* His lordship replied: ‘We are not yet commanded to wage a religious war. Return ye, therefore, to your homes.’ Abbâs says: ‘We went to our sleeping places, but next morning the Qoraish arrived, and said: “O ye Khazraj people, you have come to our companion Muhammad. You desire to take him to Madinah to wage war against us with him, and, by Allah! no men will fight as obstinately as those who were among us, who were not conscious of the matter, denying and swearing that they had no knowledge of such an intention.” After that the Qoraish went to A’bdullah Abu Salûk, to whom they narrated the circumstance of the covenant, whereon he said: “This is a dangerous business, which the people cannot undertake without consulting me.” When the Qoraish had heard these words of A’bdullah they returned.’
Ka’b B. Mâlek says: ‘When the Mekkans rose, one of their youths had good sandals, and I said to Abu Ja’ber: “Although thou art the chief of the people, thou hast not the authority to possess such sandals!” The youth, hearing these words, took off his sandals, threw them at me, adjuring me by Allah to put them on. Abu Ja’ber said: “By Allah! thou hast put this youth to shame. Return the sandals to him.” I said: “By Allah! I shall not return them, because this is for a good omen.” After that the people dispersed from Mena, whereon the Qoraish made inquiries about the covenant of the Anssâr, and learned for certainty that the promulgation made by Satan from Mount A’qâbah, as recorded above, was true. Accordingly they went in pursuit of the Anssâr, and overtook Saa’d B. A’bâdah and Mundhar B. Amru. The latter made great efforts and escaped from the hands of the idolaters, but they caught Saa’d, tied his hands and neck, thus conveying him to Mekkah. Some of their wise men said, however: “We ought to let him go, because at Madinah he has commercial relations with some of our friends.” Accordingly Saa’d was allowed to depart, and went to Madinah. When the nature of the alliances and covenants of the inhabitants of Madinah became known to the Qoraish, they began anew to persecute and to insult the professors of Islâm, so that the noble companions of his lordship the most excellent of human beings could no longer remain in Mekkah. Therefore his holy and prophetic lordship gave those who had remained behind leave to flee to Madinah. They departed gradually, and, according to one tradition, the first man who placed his foot into the desert of exile was Mossa’b B. O’mayrah, but according to another it was Abu Solmah B. A’bdu-l-asyd, who had returned from the exile of Abyssinia, and could no longer dwell in Mekkah. But Allah knows best.’